Another, just like the rest
by LuluLoveless
Summary: Her whole life was flipped upside-down on a mission she thought would do great things for her, and by this man she met, Leon. Her past still haunted her, but with each new revelation about the inner workings of this nightmare, would she embrace it and grow stronger? Would she come to love her new partner, and her new life? M for eventual sexy times language and gore. LeonxOC
1. Chapter 1: It Begins

**Note: I do not own Capcom, or the characters portrayed in this story (Leon, Claire, Chris, etc.) other than my OC Samantha. I hope you enjoy this story, and if you've read my other story then welcome back =D. If you're new, welcome to the madness that is my mind and enjoy the story, lovelies. This one is going to be extremely long so, when it's all finished it'll be quite the read. Hope you enjoy!**

It was my first big job. Working in the Special Victims Unit in Manhattan was certainly never boring, but this was certainly out of the ordinary. There had been a large number of sex crimes occurring in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean area. I was chosen as one of the few agents to be sent in from America to investigate this matter. I had been anticipating this for weeks, but nothing could have fully prepared me for what would happen while I was there, or what would happen afterward.

I entered the country with little problem. The escorts I had gotten were full Italian and spoke very little English, but that wasn't much of a problem for a person like me who also spoke a bit of Italian. After arriving at the airport they helped me to a car that would take me the rest of the way to my destination. We passed a few larger towns, but didn't stop at any of them. When we reached the more forested part of the country we finally turned off down what appeared to be a deserted road. We drove down that road in silence-much like the rest of the trip-until we were closer to the town. One of my escorts had mentioned something:  
"Ay, fare voi odore che?" one of the men asked his female counterpart. (Ay, do you smell that?)

"Sì, essa odori come in putrefazione carne…" she replied covering her nose against the foul odor. (Yes, it smells like rotting flesh.) I decided to ask something of my own.

"Che cosa fare voi pensare essa è arrivo da?" (What do you think it is coming from?) I politely interjected, but I received no answer. We continued driving. Italy really was a gorgeous place, I noted, as we drove through towns with large stone buildings and past forested areas plastering the earth with many hues of green.

When we finally arrived at my assigned destination, the first thing that I noticed was the lack of activity going on. There were people mulling about, talking to each other, but the town had an empty feel to it. Climbing out of the car, I gave a slight wave to my escorts as they drove away. I still had quite a distance to walk, as my actual destination was further in the forested area looming ahead of me.

I felt uncomfortably warm as I made my way through the trees, so I stopped to pull my jacket off and continued on my way.  
"Maybe it wasn't the _best_ idea to wear jeans and a coat on this one…" I muttered to myself. Trudging along I realized that I wasn't going to see another town for a while, but according to the map on my locator I was close to where I was supposed to be. Just slightly east of my location there should be an extremely small area with a few houses. Putting my things away into the bag that I was carrying, I quickly started toward my target.

It was as if a heavy blanket was lifted from my sight. I entered into a clearing with slight shade and no heavy plant-life. There were a few houses ahead of me, but there wasn't a soul in sight. I slowly started wandering my way through the town and was dismayed to find something extremely peculiar. Windows were shut, and locked along with their curtains. All doors were closed, and locked as if they hadn't been opened in a while.  
"Hello? Is there anyone in there?" I questioned knocking on one of the doors. Out of my peripheral vision I could see a curtain sway in the window. I decided to try my luck again.  
"This is Detective Strausser from the SVU department in Manhattan. I was sent from America to investigate some crimes occurring in this area. Can I speak to you please?" My voice rose with exasperation as the curtains swayed again, and then pinched themselves shut. Granted, what I was saying didn't seem to make much sense, in addition to the fact that I was saying it in a language that these people may not even understand. It all seemed clichéd, really: an empty town (or, well, _near _empty) with an eerie feel. The only thing missing in this equation was a horde of man-eating dogs to chase me through the forest. I cringed, as memories from my childhood flooded back forcing me to shut my mind out. I continued walking, and, admittedly, checking over my shoulder every once in a while for those man-eating dogs. I had made my way from house to house knocking on doors and asking, time and time again, if there was anyone to answer my questions, all to no avail.

The sun began to set just as I had lost all hope of making any progress on this mission when a noise caught my attention; leaves crashing together and the crunch of the occasional twig or plant. I would have brushed this off…that is, if I were still walking and not standing completely still. The footsteps sounded heavy, and almost agitated. I began walking toward the noise hoping that this was someone who could answer my questions when another noise sent chills up my spine. I stood completely still, willing my heart to stop beating as the distinct growl of a dog sounded through the trees, mimicked by two or three more. A heavy _woof _escaped the mouth of one of the canines, followed by a man's voice speaking in fluent Italian.

It was, at that moment, that I decided it would be a good time to leave, or continue on with my mission elsewhere. I tensed every muscle in my body and crept along the ground with near-silence. The growling ceased, only to be followed by panting and another deep _woof._ I crept along willing my breathing to slow. It seemed silly, being afraid of dogs, but the tone of the man's voice and the nature of their growls made the hair on my neck stand straight. I continued at my agonizingly slow pace and was suddenly halted by a rhythmic thumping sound. At first, I thought it was my heart about to burst through my chest, but after a second of silence (on my part) it hit me that the dogs had caught my scent and were running after me. I bolted from the spot and sprinted through the thick trees as the sound grew closer. My heart was pounding in my ears, and my ragged breath was tearing its way through my nose. I ran up to the nearest house and tried the knob, slamming my fists on the door, but there was no answer. From house to house I sprinted as the growls of the dogs became more distinct with each locked door. My heart fell to my toes as the thought hit me that I could possibly be killed by the man-eating dogs that I was joking about earlier.


	2. Chapter 2: My Lucky Day

I sprinted to the next house after having no luck with the last one. My desperation was increasing with each breath that I was pulling through my lungs. Reaching the house, I slammed my fists on the door shouting but received no answer. I wiggled the door knob and the door creaked open. I stared at it dumbstruck for a moment, but regained my mind and ran inside just as the bulky head of an animal appeared through the leaves of the forest. Slamming the door shut, I locked it, leaned up against it, and tried to will my breathing to slow.

The curtains were drawn shut, but it appeared that no one had lived here in months. The room was completely empty, and the walls had lines that showed where the furniture and wall decorations used to hang. As my breathing steadied, I stood and made my way over to the window. Gently parting the curtains, I peeked outside to see a man (presumably the one that I had heard earlier) followed by four massive dogs of which I could not tell the breed. Closing the curtains, I quietly took a step back from the window only to hear one of the beasts bark in my direction.

I dove behind the counter in the kitchen and put my hand over my mouth, as my breathing was erratic _again. _I felt incredibly stupid. I was a _police officer _and not just an officer but a specialized **detective, **and it wasn't as if they had sent me without any weapons. I always carried a very simple, but effective handgun on me, but my orders were purely investigative and barred me from using any force unless absolutely necessary. I also wasn't about to call into my headquarters and tell them that I was afraid of a few dogs, beastly as these ones were. I rolled my eyes in irritation, but stopped short as the dogs weren't ready to give up the chase yet. I could hear paws at the door, and the sound of the knob turning, but failing as it was locked. I whipped my head around searching the kitchen. I needed a place to hide.

My gaze stopped on cabinets that surely weren't big enough to fit me and that the dogs could probably catch my scent through anyway, and then on the refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen. Now, they always tell you to put locks on the fridge so that children cannot get into them and suffocate because they couldn't get out, but, being confident that I could probably get out if I needed to, I decided that this was my best bet. I opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to find it cleaned out, shelves and all. My lucky day.

Sliding my torso and legs in, I hurriedly pulled my head into the confined space and closed the door just as the front door burst open. I took quick short breaths, but ended up not breathing at all as I could hear the click of the dogs' nails on the tile floor. There was very little oxygen in the confined space of the fridge, and it smelled of rotten food. It took all of my willpower to not vomit from the odor and the lack of air. It seemed like an eternity had passed when I heard the man's voice again and the whine of the dogs as they were led out of the house.

The moment they made it out of the door, I heard them snarl and bark and dash off in the other direction. I opened the door on the fridge and peered out. The man went dashing in the same direction as the dogs, tripping over his own feet as he bolted, a stream of curses flowing through his mouth. He stopped short as gunshots sounded and bolted in the other direction. I could hear another snarl, followed by a growl, a whimper, and then finally a thump as the dog's limp body hit the earth.

I pulled the fridge door shut and slowed my breathing once more.

_Great _my mind echoed, _now one of them has a gun, too._

Minutes went by and the only sound was that of my heart slowing to a steady rhythm, interrupted only by my short breaths. Then, heavy footsteps entered the house, followed by a man's stern voice, but this one was speaking English. It was slightly muffled, but I could pick out bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Yeah…Hunnigan," wait, _Hunnigan_? The woman who briefed me on my mission had the same name. I strained my ears to see if I could catch her voice to identify this, but all that I could hear was his muffled reply to her silent response.  
"…had to use force….houses locked…check in later," the device blipped as the call ended. I let out a sigh of relief as this man appeared to be here for possibly the same reason that I was, which I instantly regretted as I could hear his footsteps stop and begin heading toward my direction. I tensed and wished at this moment that I could reach my gun and also that I weren't hiding in the fridge like a coward. I readied myself as the footsteps stopped short right outside of the fridge door, but then abruptly turned away and headed toward the front door of the house and died out. I cracked the door open to let precious air in, and waited silently for a minute or two, but there were no more footsteps. Gingerly climbing out of the fridge, I got to my feet and pulled my gun out of its holster. Screw this; I was done hiding like a coward.

I took a step forward, gun readied as all of my police training kicked in. Another step and still no sound from the man who was here only moments ago or from anyone else. Ignoring the nagging feeling that more dogs would come and eat me alive, I continued toward the door. As I walked past a narrow hallway leading further into the house, something jumped out and collided with me.

Out of reflex I pulled the trigger on my handgun only for the bullet ricochet off of the ceiling and bury itself in the floor. The object slammed into me, knocking my only weapon out of my hand as hit the floor. I wriggled and twisted to try and get out from under this heavy _thing _that was pinning me down only to figure out that it was a person. My body soared into panic-mode and I began kicking and punching at my assailant making successful blows in his chest and legs, but it was no use. He had me by at least 30-40 pounds and was holding me down. He grabbed my torso and twisted me onto my back as I continued fruitlessly trying to wriggle out of his grasp.  
"Stay still!" he shouted at me, and I realized that it was the man from earlier on the phone. However, by this time my mind was reeling and my first instinct remained that of getting free of this stranger's grasp. I could feel him shift as he fully twisted me onto my back and pinned my forearms down in one swift movement. One hand remained there as the other pushed my shoulders into the floor. My torso, arms, and legs were now pinned and I realized with despair that there was no way for me to get out of this, so I stilled as he commanded and waited for him to say something else as our breathing slowed.

My body started to cramp up when he finally spoke.

"Who are you," he demanded, "and why are you here?"

My sarcastic side would certainly get me killed some day, but today I simply couldn't repress it.

"Well, I was taking a nice leisurely stroll through this abandoned house before you jumped me, _sir. _And," I added squirming underneath his weight, "if you're planning on asking questions, you better plan on answering some too." I could hear him sigh as he shifted allowing me to move my head just enough to catch a glimpse of his face. He impassive gaze was directed down toward me and I could see the contemplation in his eyes as he decided what he was going to do with me.

His body shifted and he stood up, pulling me with him and onto my knees. I could feel him tug on my hands and something wrapped around my wrists as he started speaking, distracting me.

"Well," he muttered, "I'm usually not the type to jump a lady, but since you tried to shoot me…" his voice faded as I could feel something pull tight around my hands. He moved so that he was now standing in front of me, and I tugged on my arms confused until it hit me that he had bound my hands together. I could feel that my feet weren't tied together, but his voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Stay like that," he demanded "or I'll have to fully restrain you." My eyes followed him cautiously as he strolled across the room, picked up my dropped weapon and unloaded it all in one swift movement. He dropped the empty gun and walked back so that he was standing in front of me, and then dropped down into a sitting position similar to the one that I was currently in. I couldn't help but snort as a laugh escaped my through my nose. His face twisted to one of slight amusement but more frustration.  
"Something funny?"  
"Not particularly," I replied snarkily, "but do you always jump, and then tie up strange women?" All amusement drained from his face.  
"Well, you were hiding in the fridge, tried to shoot me, and then hit me quite a few times. I felt that you were a danger to yourself, so I restrained you." His voice was all business, but the last part of that sentence royally irked me. I was a danger to _myself_? If I recall correctly, he was the one who had almost gotten shot after jumping me. Who was this man, and who did he _think _he was tying me up and then questioning me!? I took a deep breath through my nose. I needed to calm down, or I was never going to get out of this.

"All right, I'll tell you everything if you'll untie me," I bargained, my expression placid.

"No, I'm not untying you _until _you tell me what I would like to know." He replied plainly. _Dammit._

"Fine," I gave in "I'm detective Samantha Strausser of the Manhattan SVU. I was sent here on a specialized mission to investigate the recent crimes in this area. _Happy?_" My voice dripped acid with each word making its way out of my mouth. Confusion swept over his face as I finished my sentence. I pushed my luck and kept going.  
"Now, will you tell me who _you_are and why _you're_here?" I asked all in one breath. His eyebrows raised and he sighed before beginning his side of the explanation.

"I'm Agent Leon S. Kennedy, head of D.S.O division against bio-terrorism. I was also sent here to investigate the recent string of crimes, but I'm guessing the people who sent _you _weren't aware of what they were getting themselves, and their agents, into," he explained dryly.

He had a point. I wasn't aware that I'd be chased by mutated dogs when I was only supposed to be here to investigate people. There was obviously something more going on here if the head of the division against bio-terrorism was here. I screwed my mouth shut and sighed.

"Look, I have no idea what's going on here. All I know is that I was sent here to investigate an ongoing string of sex crimes, so will you _please_ untie me." I looked up into his eyes after finishing my sentence. I really didn't feel safe tied up, and honestly, I didn't trust this man no matter what he said. He looked back at me and I was struck by déjà vu. I had seen this man somewhere before.  
_Leon, _my mind searched its databases for that name, or even for his face, but came up short. The only things that seemed familiar were his eyes. They were gray and contained, but I could also see the conflicting thoughts swirling through their depths. They were closed, but open. Huh, that makes all the sense in the world. He sighed, resigned.  
"Alright," he said sternly, "turn and I'll untie you. However, if you try to attack me again, don't doubt that I can tie you up a second time with ease." He sliced through the restraints with the knife that he carried in a holster on his shoulder and backed away. I rubbed my wrists and stood, looking at him. He certainly wasn't bad looking, dressed in jeans and a thermal, long sleeve top. His face was contained, his eyes concentrated as he peered around the house. Long, unruly locks of hair draped over his forehead casting a shadow over his sharp features. Finally, he looked at me, pulled my gun out of his belt, reloaded it, and handed over.

"I assume you know how to use this," he taunted as I slid it back into its holster. I glared at him, and righted my shirt as he stared at me.  
"We'd better get going then," I said coldly ignoring his remark and briskly walked past him. I walked over the creaky wood separating the living area and kitchen and stopped as I heard a loud pop. Leon stopped and looked around, then at the floor below my feet. His eyes widened.  
"Move!" he shouted a second too late as the floor gave way below my feet and I crashed through the boards and landed on the soggy dirt below.


	3. Chapter 3: Out With the Old

**Long chapter this time, guys ^^. Thank you for all the people who have viewed this story, and I hope you continue to check up on it. I'm sorry if it's starting out slow, I promise that it'll get better as I go deeper in with the chapters. Well, that's all. Enjoy, Lovelies!**

Splinters of wood crashed down over me and I raised my arms above my head to keep the damage to a minimal. After the dust settled I peeked between my crossed arms at the human-sized hole above me. A second passed before Leon's head appeared over the hole.  
"You okay?" He shouted down at me. I nodded and looked at my surroundings. It was strange, the area that I was sitting in looked like a cavern with a tunnel branching off from it. I brushed it off though, and stood up examining the height from the hole that I fell through and the ground that I was standing on. With some help from Leon I'd be able to get back upstairs.

"Think you can help me u-" I was cut off by the sound of paws treading across the wet ground through the tunnel opposite me. I stared in horror as one of the beastly canines slunk out of the darkness. Leon shouted something down at me, but my mind was reeling and it didn't register. The dog launched itself at me, and I rolled out of the way and back up onto my feet. Leon shouted at me again.  
"I can't get an aim," he shouted worriedly. "You'll have to take care of it yourself. Aim for the head, it's your best bet!"

I stared into the eyes of a cold unforgiving predator as the dog inched its way toward me. Numbly, I reached for my gun in its holster, but it became obvious who the hunter was in this game. The dog launched itself at my legs knocking me down. Climbing up on top of me I could feel its claws dig into my upper thigh sending shockwaves of pain down my leg and up into my torso. A scream ripped its way through my throat as the beast started snapping at my neck, its claws digging deeper through the muscle in my leg. I closed my eyes, sure that I was going to die at the jaws of some mutated mutt, when I heard the bang of a gun that left my ears ringing.

I closed my eyes as blood splattered across my face and glasses. The dead weight of the dog fell heavily across my chest and I panted, eyes still closed. My head was reeling from the pain and adrenaline as I felt things going foggy. Suddenly his voice cut through the silence and heavy breathing.  
"Samantha? Can you hear me? Agent Strausser?!" He shouted, the concern clear in his voice. I opened my eyes and found him staring down at me, eyes wide and clear.  
"Yes," I croaked out, "I'm okay, but my leg is hurt pretty badly." The beast's claws were still lodged in my thigh, and I had to gingerly pull them out. The pain was immense and I could feel a blanket of heat cover my body as it radiated through me. I laid my head back and groaned. How was I going to get back up? Leon was silent for a moment, as he looked around and then back down at me. He closed his eyes briefly before speaking again.  
"Can you stand?" He asked patiently. I opened my eyes and he was still staring down at me, but this time his gaze was determined.  
"Possibly, but," I added, shifting the dog off of my body and moving into a sitting position, wincing at the stabbing pain coming from my left side, "I can't put any pressure on my left leg."  
"Shit," he muttered. "Alright, I think I can help you up. You didn't fall that far so I should be able to reach you, but you'll have to help me."  
"Alright," I breathed out, trying to get onto my knees to stand. I made it up into a kneeling position, but the pain was so intense that I almost fell back down again. I sat there for a moment, my breathing ragged and decided to try again. This time, using the cavern walls as a support, I managed to stand resting all my weight on my right leg. Just as I had thought, the wounds were extremely deep. I could see my pant-leg torn down to the knee along with four deep puncture wounds followed by scratches. It was oozing blood and looked as bad as it felt. Testing it, I gently put pressure on it only to gasp at the pain that was followed. Once again, just as I had thought.  
"Good, at least you're standing," I could hear him warily shout down, "now make your way over here so that I can pull you up."  
I, slowly, but surely made my way over to where I could see his arm dangling through the hole that I had fallen through. I extended my arm to grab his, but fell short. I was too far down, and the only way for me to reach him was to jump. Great.

"I-I can't reach," I shouted up exasperated. Today just wasn't my day. He sighed, equally exasperated and tried extending his arm further down so that our fingertips just barely touched, but that still wasn't enough. He knew as well as I did that I was going to have to jump to reach him.

"You can do it," he said confidently, "on the count of three, you'll jump and I'll grab your arm, okay?" Fun.

"Alright," I said warily.  
"One," Here we go.  
"Two," I said gently putting my left leg on the ground, readying myself for the pain that would surely accompany this jump.

"…Three!" He shouted

I tensed myself like a spring, and then jumped. Oh, boy was I right about the pain. He grabbed a firm hold of my arm, as I screamed in agony, and began pulling me up. I kicked my right leg along the wall trying to offer some help as he grabbed my forearm with both hands. He pulled and my torso was through the hole. I was grunting as I put my other hand down to push myself the rest of the way through, and with one more tug on his part, I was out. Out, and now lying on top of him.

He pulled me through, but I couldn't support myself so I went tumbling down. He caught me, sending me face-first into his muscled chest as my weight put him off balance. He landed flat on his back with his arms around me. We laid there for a moment or two and I could feel the pain lingering in my lower half along with the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath me. Abruptly, he sat up and gingerly slid me off of him allowing me to groggily slide to the floor. My mind was going foggy from the pain and exhaustion running through my body. I closed my eyes and lay there for a moment or two before I could feel him shaking me.

"Hey, hey," his voice was gentle, "stay with me. We still have to get out of here." I opened my eyes to find him staring intently down at me. With his help, I managed to get up into a sitting position, and then into a standing position. He had his arm around my waist, and threw mine across his broad shoulders so that I was using him as a crutch.

"You alright to walk like this?" he asked as we began moving toward the door. I nodded, but couldn't help but feel stupid that I needed this man's help to walk regardless of how bad my wounds were. We continued like this until we were outside. Leon took a moment to search around for more of those dogs before continuing to walk. We made our way into the forest after some time. We weren't moving very fast, and I could hear him grunting with effort as he was carrying most of my weight. Other than our breathing we walked in near silence until a sharp ping broke through. Leon stopped and gingerly rested me against a tree as he reached around and retrieved his ringing phone.

He stared at the screen for only a moment before closing his eyes and pressing the phone to his ear.

"Leon here..." he breathed. "Yes….yes I'm fine but," and he glanced at me, "I ,uh, picked up something along the way." I could hear a female's voice on the other end of the phone, but it was one that I didn't recognize. Leon pinched his eyes shut as the voice rose an octave.  
"Yes, it's a person. She seemed to have been sent here for the same reason that I have." More of the female's voice, but this time a tad calmer. He let out a sigh as the woman continued speaking.

"She's injured, I can't leave her, and I have no idea," Leon cut her sentence short. She began speaking, but only a short sentence..

"Alright, I understand. I'll be in contact." And with that the call was over. Leon pushed the phone back into his pocket and looked at me with obvious frustration. He sighed and began moving toward me, but my thoughts escaped my mouth before he even reached me.

"If…If it's such an issue that I'm coming with you, then just leave me here." I said coldly. It struck him by surprise, and he looked at me with confusion laced with anger.  
"I am _not _leaving you here. It's partially my fault that you're hurt in the first place, and," he continued less strongly, "there could be more of those dogs around."  
"Well, it's obvious that whoever you were just on the phone with isn't thrilled about the idea of me going with you…er, wherever you're going." I sputtered out. I could tell that his patience was thinning as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Jeez, I thought I was impatient, but I wasn't about to back down. My anger and confusion were finally coming to the surface as I was beginning to question what was going on in my head. He glared at me through the wisps of hair shrouding his face.  
"I'm going to be honest," he said shortly. "We have to get you back as quickly as possible to be examined."  
"Examined…?" I questioned.  
" Yes. There's a possibility that those wolves were carrying a, well," he stopped short, and took a deep breath, "there's a possibility that they could have infected you with a virus." The last of his sentence was rushed and he simply stared at me as if what he just said were a normal everyday thing. My heart lurched into my throat.  
"V-virus?" I spluttered. What type of virus was he talking about? Rabies? I suddenly felt the whole world shatter around me. Oh, no, what if it was the same virus from when I was a kid? The one that was plastered all over the news, and supposedly caused people to go insane and eat each other. The virus that I had experienced first hand. My mouth must have dropped open, for his eyes widened and he hurried to explain himself.  
"Yes, but it's only precautionary," he stammered attempting to make a recovery. "As long as you weren't bitten you should be fine." My mind couldn't analyze all of this information at once. I could be infected with a virus that caused a person to eat other people. I thought I was going to stop breathing. He hurriedly began speaking.  
"Come on," He grabbed my arm and put it around his shoulders again. "Virus or no, we have to get you back before you lose too much blood." He was right. I was woozy already from the loss of blood and all of the excitement. I didn't put up a fight as he carried me along through the forest. We continued walking until we reached the town that I was initially dropped off in, but there was much more commotion going on now.  
There was a truck parked and medics outside of it. Next to it was a car with yet another car parked behind it. The people of the town were crowded around the vehicles, but suddenly looked up as Leon appeared through the trees with me in tow. The crowd parted and a woman stepped through whom Leon seemed to recognize.  
"Hunnigan," he warmly greeted her. "I'm surprised to see you here." The woman was dressed in a suit top and a skirt. She had glasses and blue eyes that seemed to analyze everything. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight bun behind the headset that rested right above her ear. She gave him a slight nod but focused her gaze on me.  
"You must be Detective Strausser," she looked me over stopping on my wound. I nodded and began to speak, but she cut me off.  
"No, let's focus on getting you patched up first. We'll talk later," she smiled warmly. It was as if this woman knew me personally, but I had only met her twice. Incidentally, she was the same person who briefed me on my mission here. But other than that, I had no idea who she was. Leon slowly helped me over to the medics standing outside of the large truck, who then pulled me inside and closed the doors. They laid me down on a gurney, examined my leg. I could hear cars pulling away, and then the truck that I was in began moving. I could hear them talking to each other, but I zoned out. I had no idea where we were going, or what was going to happen after they patched me up, but I knew that everything was about to change.

I took to studying both of the medics sitting in the back of the truck. One was a man with dark blonde hair and the other a woman, whose hair was a shade of red just slightly lighter than mine. After a short while, the truck began to slow, and then it stopped altogether. Both medics stood up at the same time and opened the doors on the truck. I sat up, but the woman stared at me nervously and told me to lie back down. I sighed but did as I was told and laid down as they wheeled me out of the truck and into a tent directly across from it. Inside were doctors mulling about along with nurses. I still had no idea where I was, but the doctor that began treating me was clearly Italian so I figured we couldn't be too far from where they picked us up.

"So, miss Strausser," the doctor smiled warmly at me and I couldn't help but return the smile. He was a middle aged man with a thick Italian accent and an aged face. He was extremely gentle as he began examining my leg and prodding at the wounds. I winced as he pulled on my pant leg and he frowned.  
"Well, it's certainly not as bad as I had thought," he stated as he began wiping away the thick blood that surrounded the wound. He abruptly turned and began rooting through the tools on the table next to him. My eyes followed his hands as he picked up a rather large pair of scissors and began cutting away at the material around my wound until there was an even larger hole in my pants. He then turned and grabbed what looked like rubbing alcohol, doused a cloth in it, and then looked directly at me.  
"This is going to sting. Are you ready?" He asked calmly. I simply nodded and he pressed the cloth down on my open wound. I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes. The pain really wasn't too bad, but it stung horribly. The good doctor began speaking again.  
"Ah, I'm sorry, mi amico," he smiled. "I never introduced myself. I'm Doctor Vittorio Cicco. You seem to have quite a wound here. Can you explain to me how you received it?" I nodded and began to explain to him about the large dog that had attacked me, and how it was not a bite mark, but a scratch mark where the dog's claws had dug into my thigh. He nodded with a frown and continued cleaning the wound. After he was satisfied, he threw the cloth away, and began looking on his table of tools for something else. He turned and I could see a vial in his hand along with a syringe.  
"It's to numb your leg, Tesoro," he smiled again. "It's deep enough that it will require stitches, but not too many." I nodded again and closed my eyes as I could feel the needle bury itself in my skin. A burning sensation spread its way across my leg followed by a cold numbness. He prepared the suture and thread and began stitching the wounds up with ease and perfection. I watched in amazement as the needle went through one side of the wound and out of the other, pulling the two sides together little by little until they were completely closed up.  
"Ah," he said, satisfied with his work. "See? Not too bad." I smiled and nodded to which he smiled back.  
"A very silent woman, aren't you?" he chuckled.  
"Not usually," I replied truthfully, "but, I'm still kind of in shock after everything that happened."  
"Ah, yes," he appeared suddenly concerned, "that's right, I still have to take a sample of your blood for them to test. Once again, this won't hurt too much." All concern dissipated as he winked at me and smiled. I couldn't help but giggle. After dealing with that other man, someone who was willing to joke was refreshing.  
_That Agent _my mind wandered and I frowned. _What is so familiar about him? I'd swear I'd seen him before…_  
As if on cue, in came walking Agent Kennedy, confusion etched across his face as he searched the room. His eyes fell on me, and his face lightened as he wandered over to where the doctor was finishing up with my blood sample. He pressed a cotton ball into my arm, put tape over it, and then walked away with the little vial containing my blood. Leon walked over and stopped at the foot of the bed I was sitting on. We looked at each other in silence, and I still couldn't shake the fact that his face seemed familiar. He cleared his throat and began speaking.  
"How're you feeling?" he asked with concern. I shrugged.  
"Better, I suppose. My leg is all stitched up," I said lifting the blanket laid over me to reveal my now bandaged-but still numb-thigh. He looked at it for a moment and then nodded and looked away from me.  
"Hunnigan wants to speak with you as soon as they're finished up here," he said all-business once again. I nodded.  
"Alright, but I don't know if I can walk…" my voice faded as I looked down at my leg. I hope that this injury wouldn't permanently affect my ability to walk, or fight.  
_Oh man, _my mind suddenly went blank, _My boss is going to have a fit when he finds out about this..  
_ As if reading my mind, Leon began talking.  
"Don't worry about your captain, Hunnigan spoke to him already. He's aware of the situation." He said disinterested. Once again, as if on cue, Hunnigan walked in. She looked at Leon, then at me and smiled.  
"How's your leg?" she asked earnestly.  
"Better," I replied, "but I'm more interested in what my boss had to say about what's going on." Her face faltered for a moment and she sighed.  
"If you're done here, we can discuss that on our way back."  
"Way back?" I asked. "Oh, you mean, we're leaving?"

"Yes," she said without missing a beat. "There's nothing further that we can do here. Agent Kennedy collected all of the information that he needed and seeing as you're injured," she directed her gaze at my leg, "we might as well start our trip back." I nodded, not really knowing what to say. I knew this mission was now out of my agency's hands, but I couldn't help but feel that I had failed. I looked up as the doctor walked in with the vial, and a pair of crutches. He handed me a bottle of painkillers, and explained the directions on taking them. Hunnigan said something to him in fluent Italian, and he replied. She nodded, took the bag with the vial in it, and walked out. The doctor handed Leon the crutches and walked off as well.

I made it out to the car that Leon had directed me to, and seated myself in the back. My door was shut, and the door opposite of me opened and he slid in the back with me. After a moment of preparation, we began traveling again, this time in complete silence. The car ride was fairly long, and I took the opportunity to study Mr. Kennedy's features more closely to see if I could find why he appeared so familiar, but found nothing. We eventually slowed to a stop, and Leon opened his door and smoothly slid out of the car. I couldn't help but feel jealous of his grace seeing how I would be stuck with clunky crutches for the next few weeks. My car door opened and he held a hand out to me, which I denied. I was determined to get out myself. He sighed, pulled my crutches out, and held them up for me while I awkwardly slid myself out of the car.

We were at what looked to be an airport, but the only things parked there were private jets and helicopters. Leon caught my attention and directed me toward one of the smaller jets where Hunnigan was standing. We made our way over and the attendant standing near the jet smiled and ushered me inside. It was small, and certainly nice but not overly luxurious. I sat in a cushioned chair on the left side of the cabin facing toward the door. After a moment, Leon slid into the seat opposite me followed by Hunnigan. The pilot began speaking about the flight preparations as we buckled ourselves in, and we were off.  
My stomach lurched as we became airborne, but I couldn't help but stare out the window. It really was beautiful being up this high.  
"So, Miss Strausser," Hunnigan began speaking, "I'm sure you'd like for all of your questions to be answered now?" I simply nodded as the flight attendant brought me a glass of water and set it on the table that separated us three. Hunnigan took a breath, and then began explaining.  
"You were sent on this mission, not so much by mistake, but as a backup," she calmly explained. "We were aware of the things that were occurring in Europe, and of there severity. You were sent to an area that was thought to be safer than the others." _Others? _She continued.  
"Unfortunately, we weren't expecting any type of danger to be brought to you, and I apologize for that. However, you were sent for a very special reason." I tilted my head in confusion, but she took a breath and continued.  
"We've studied your background, along with your job performance and are quite, well, impressed with your resume." I choked on my water. Impressed? What was so impressive? Sure, I had graduated from Marywood University with a bachelor 's degree in psychology. I was also the top of my class in police academy, but none of that was overly impressive. The most impressive thing that I had done thus far was being sent on this mission. I regained myself and motioned for her to continue.

"After being sent on this mission, and experiencing what you've experienced," she glanced at the floor, " well, we'd like to train you to become part of the D.S.O division. I've discussed it with your captain already, and he's preparing your paperwork to be sent over to us." My mouth dropped.  
"What…?" was all I could manage. She nodded and Leon stared at her as well. Apparently, he wasn't aware of this information either. My mind cycled through all of this information, and it slowly sunk it.  
"Wait," I stopped her as she began to speak again, "so, this" I gestured around, "what's going on here has to do with the virus that broke out sixteen years ago, doesn't it?" I questioned. Hunnigan's mouth flattened into a serious line and she sighed.  
"Yes, we think so, but it's only slightly related," she assured me. "This isn't the same virus that broke out back then-if it's a virus at all-but we were asked to go in and research it."  
"So, there's a possibility," I simply wanted to get to the bottom line of everything that was going on.  
"Yes," she said with finality. Leon excused himself, and wandered to the front of the cabin. Hunnigan sipped at the water that the flight attendant had brought her, and I did the same. My mind blanked out as it usually did when there was far too much information to take in.  
"So," I began, setting the glass off water down with a gentle _clink_, "you said something about my past. I assume you're talking about the Raccoon City incident." I steeled myself as the memories flooded back.


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares

It was a beautiful day and my aunt had brought me into the city to go shopping. I remember her always being an extravagant person, and one who certainly loved spending money. I remember shopping until it got late, and entering the final store of the day. It was a jewelry store with cheap fashion items, and antiques alike. My eyes widened as I took in all of the beautiful pieces, but I couldn't help but gasp as my gaze fell on a pendant that contained a gem of the deepest blue. My aunt had caught me looking, and I quickly looked away sure that the price on that piece would be far too expensive. I looked up as she stepped in front of me and lifted the necklace off of its small pedestal. I looked up and her face lit up.  
"You like this one, darling?" I nodded, and she smiled showing all of her perfect teeth. She asked the salesperson if I could try it on, and he nodded and smiled. My aunt unclasped the gorgeous piece and told me to lift my hair. At that time my hair wasn't very long, but I put it up as best as I could. I could feel the cold chain against my neck as the full weight of the piece rested on my chest. The man ushered me over to a mirror, and as I looked up my aunt took his place, resting her hands on my shoulders. I stared in the mirror at the girl with the unruly short curls, and the too-wide green eyes, but even on me the necklace was still beautiful. The blue was even darker compared to my pale skin and reflected the light in a way that reminded me of the ocean.

"Do you like it?" my aunt asked giddily like a small child. I looked up at her and nodded, but didn't smile. I was still far too awestruck by the beauty of the necklace. Her hands left my shoulders as she walked over the salesperson to discuss the price. I stared in the mirror as my fingers trailed along the chain of the necklace. In its silvery reflective face I could see my aunt smile at the man, and hand over her oh-too-used credit card. That, however, wasn't what caught my attention. A man stumbled past the store, holding his stomach. I squinted my eyes to get a better look, and as if sensing my gaze the man turned. I froze as I could see the lines of blood running down his mouth and nose, mixing with the spit dripping down his chin, but that wasn't what frightened me. It was the look in his eyes, completely desolate of any feeling or thought, complete and utter emptiness taking their place.  
The feel of a hand on my back startled me, and I couldn't help but jump. My aunt frowned at me and asked if everything was alright. I nodded, but couldn't help but glace back at the store window for the desolate looking man. My aunt shrugged and smiled telling me that the necklace was now mine. I couldn't help but smile too, ecstatic that I now owned this little beauty. We left the store and walked out onto a now-empty street. We walked a ways before being shoved by people clumsily sprinting past us. My aunt yelled after them, but I just stared. Something wasn't right about this scene. It was barely dusk and the street was completely deserted, as it never was. My aunt fixed her expensive coat, and took my hand with a smile as we continued walking.

We walked in silence for a short time as I took in the sight of the city at night. I remember thinking that it looked strange without all of the people milling about; going in and out of shops and such. We walked past an alley but my aunt stopped as the sounds of someone in agony echoed through its dark depths, followed by the man that I had seen in the store window earlier. She squeezed my hand tightly and began to back away, dragging me with her as the man came closer. He took staggering steps, groaned, and gurgled as he moved along until he collapsed to the ground, shouting in agony. My aunt let go of my hand and knelt over the man, her fair hair curtaining her face. I remember not being very talkative when I was younger, but at this moment words began flowing out of my mouth in a steady stream.  
"No, auntie!" I shouted. "We have to go! He's not normal!" her head whipped around as she stared at me in confusion. Then, the man lunged at her. He knocked her flat to the ground as she tried to push him off. She began screaming and kicking at the man, but it was no use. He foamed at the mouth and tilted his head down toward her neck. I screamed as he bit into her, hers drowned out by the gurgles of blood filling her mouth. I cried and staggered backwards, falling as I tripped over my own feet. Tears blurred my vision as I saw the man bite into her again and again, even as her body went limp. I knew that I should run, but I couldn't leave, I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. I remember not feeling my adrenaline kick in until the man lifted his head and stared at me. Blood ran down his chin, and as he opened his mouth more poured out.

The only thing that I could do was crawl backward as my mind began to shut down. The man stood, and then stumbled forward, momentarily losing his balance. At that moment, my mind urged me to run. I gained my footing, and sprinted away from him as fast as I could. I panted as I sprinted down the empty sidewalk, but never stopped. I ran until my legs ached and my heart felt as though it would burst through my chest at any moment. I continued running even as the moans of the diseased man fell silent, until I couldn't run anymore and I stopped, panting. Then out of the corner of my eye, a red wisp lit the sky on the street opposite me, and fire exploded through the building sending bricks and debris toward me. I fell to the ground covering my face as rubble fell onto me. Finally, I sat up coughing from the smoke and dust caused by the explosion. The fire licked up the side of the building and illuminated the figures lumbering toward me.

They moaned the same sickly tune as the man had in the alleyway. My eyes darted around until they spotted an alley that led onto a street next to the one I was on. I bolted over to it and began to make my way through it tripping over the trash littering the soggy ground. I had almost made it to the other street when I man tumbled out of the dumpster and grabbed me by my feet, knocking me to the ground. I could feel the pain as my knees skidded against the hard concrete, and the fear as the man grabbed more forcefully at me. I shrieked and kicked him in the face, closing my eyes as my foot made contact momentarily stunning him. I quickly crawled out of the alley and started sprinting again despite the scrapes on my knees. I ran from that street to the next one over, but was halted by the gruesome sight there.

Bodies littered the street, and more lumbered around without purpose. Fires illuminated the street and sent a heated breeze across my face. I simply stared until I was startled out of my reverie by a gargled yell, and another man grabbed me, foaming at the mouth. He grabbed at my neck as I struggled. He pulled and the chain of my necklace broke, shattering before my eyes. Enraged, I fought back as he grabbed me once again and brought his mouth dangerously close to my neck. I could feel his teeth graze my skin, and then they began to puncture the skin on my neck, drawing blood. I cried as I pushed with all of my might against his body, but to no avail. With one final attempt I pushed and knocked him backward sending him off balance. My mind worked quickly as I spotted a loose brick on the ground and grabbed it firmly in my hand.

I screamed, and swung as he lumbered toward me. Before I knew it he was on the ground, a puddle of blood forming a halo around his face. I covered my mouth as sobs escaped through my lips. What had I done? I just killed someone. I looked up in fright as more of the figures made their way toward the noise that I had created. I dropped the brick and ran panting as I traveled from street to street, searching for any sign of a normal human. I could hear faint gunshots in the distance, and I ran in further fear. I would certainly get into trouble for what I had done, wouldn't I? I continued to run, sobbing hysterically as I ran out of breath and eventually slowed. I ran down a street until I was stopped by a dead end. Frantically, I turned to find a group of monsters wandering toward me. I continued looking, but slid to the ground finding no feasible route out of this mess.

I closed my eyes as their moans became more animal-like and I could hear their feet moving faster toward me. I knew that my life was about to end, but didn't pray to any gods or goddesses. All that I could think of were the comics with the superheroes in them; the ones that save you just as things are looking grim. Even though I was young, I knew that these heroes didn't exist and that any minute I'd be food for these cannibalistic beings. As tears ran down my cheeks, I began to close my eyes until I heard the sound of footsteps. A man's voice shouted, and my head shot up just as one of the monster's lunged at me. I screamed, but a piercing sound rang through my ears.

Blood spurt forth from the thing's head and it stopped moving, falling to its knees. His body slumped to the ground and I screamed even louder. That man had just killed someone too. I mean, just because these people were acting weird didn't mean that they weren't human…right? The man continued shooting until the monsters were cleared out. I put my head in my knees, not wanting to see anymore blood, or death. I could feel my mind finally begin shutting down. This was simply too much for my 11 year old mind to handle. More gunshots sounded, and then there was silence. Footsteps trotted over to where I was hunched on the ground, and two firm hands landed on my shoulders. The man began shaking me and repeating something over and over, but I couldn't hear him anymore. All that I could sense was the pain in my knees, but that was nothing compared to the pain in my chest. I just wanted it all to end.  
Everything was going dark when he shook me even harder, pushing my head out of my arms. I opened my eyes and stared at him, his voice finally breaking through the haze.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, worry dancing through his soft voice. I simply stared at him, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. He was in uniform, but what I couldn't tell. All that I could focus on was his face, as it was the only thing that kept the world from going dark again.  
_My hero…_

"Hey, answer me! Are you alright?" He asked once again, and I nodded mechanically. This had to be a dream. Only in movies and stories did a hero come along when someone was about to die. All I could think was that I should have been dead, and this man had changed that. I stared at him, tears suddenly blurring my vision as all of my emotions rushed forward at once. I was embarrassed that I was falling apart in front of this stranger, but I simply couldn't hold it in anymore. I began sobbing uncontrollably and he put an arm around me, patting my back. My tears slowed, and he helped me stand on wobbly feet.  
"I…" I began, trying to produce words out of the jumble of thoughts in my head. "I…killed…a man." I looked up at him with fearful eyes and eyebrows scrunched in confusion.  
"But…" I continued, "He…he tried to kill me and…I didn't know what to…" he stopped me, and shook his head.  
"No, it's okay. You did what you had to. You were very brave doing something like that." A gentle smile crossed his face, and I relaxed. He continued.

"Were you here by yourself?" I shook my head and he frowned. I informed him that I had come here with my aunt, but she had been attacked and I ran. He asked me if I had been bitten, and my stomach suddenly dropped. I pulled my sweatshirt tighter around my neck and told him that I hadn't, but my aunt had. I could feel fear pressing on my chest, and it became hard to breathe as I recognized the uniform that he was wearing. I had just lied to a police officer.

He looked around for a moment, then focused his gaze on me.  
"Alright, we have to get you out of here," I nodded and he began instructing me.  
"I'll go ahead; you stay close behind me and whatever you do, don't wander, okay?" I nodded and he smiled, nodding back. We began moving through the street like this; him scanning the area and moving swiftly in front of me. I stayed close like he had instructed, and a group of officers came storming down the street. He stopped and put his arm out in front of me as the officers eyed us up and down. One nodded at the other, and walked over the man.  
"We'll take the civilian officer. She'll be safe in our hands. You need to get out of the city as well." The man looked at me with strong grey eyes, and then nodded at the officer.  
"Alright, you get her out of here. I have to look for my friend." The officer nodded, and the man stepped aside to let him examine me. After a moment, he nodded at his team and they began moving forward. The officer placed a hand on my back and began moving me forward. Panic seized my chest as I realized that the man who rescued me wasn't coming along. I stared at him, eyes wide with fear, and he gave me a reassuring smile.

"You'll be safer with them," he said softly, and then waved a goodbye. The officer pushed me forward and then picked me up and began running through the streets with me. His team began shooting everything that they saw and I closed my eyes shutting down again. We eventually made it to a rescue vehicle where a doctor began examining me and I pulled the cloth around my neck again. I knew that I should tell one of them, but I was terrified of what they'd do to me if they found out. The doctor finished his examination, and then we began moving. I stared out the window as the city drifted by. I was alive, but I knew that this day would haunt me forever. I also couldn't help but feel sorrow at my lost necklace. I'd lost many things that day, but the necklace was forever burned into my mind. I vowed not to forget that man, but his face was a blur now.

_Grey eyes, soft voice, _these were the things that I remembered as I drifted off, finally giving into exhaustion.  
_My hero…_

And with that, reality was brought back with a sharp stab. I was still on the jet, safe. I must have blanked out because Hunnigan was staring at me worriedly, but I simply smiled and stared out the window. I had to go with these people if I ever wanted a chance to figure out what happened that night so many years ago. No matter what it brought, I would do this. I needed to do this.


End file.
